A “gateway to any information related to metros, subways, or similar urban rail transit systems around the world.” (Originally cleverly entitled “metropla.net”.)

The following information is from the article Around the World by Subway that I found in the December 1995 issue of Doctor’s Review, and was originally from Travel & Leisure:

“Not everyone likes to ride the subway, but it’s often the easiest and fastest way to get around town. It also provides an experience unique to a city, allowing tourists to ride with the natives, reach neighbourhoods off the tourist track, and become participants in a city’s life. Here’s a guide to some of the world’s more interesting systems.” (Note that times, fares and numbers of stations have almost certainly changed since this was written.)

Character: Known as MARTA, it’s a subway system that’s keeping pace with the city’s endless sprawl.
Upside: Delightfully air-conditioned in an often steamy city.
Downside: Beyond going up and down Peachtree or getting to the airport, the system is limited.

Character: The subway follows the city’s grand boulevards. Although not overly stylish for this design-conscious metropolis, the system goes where you want to go.
Upside: Convenient and reliable.
Downside: Given Barcelona’s late nightlife, the hours of operation are limited.

Character: The U-Bahn is the underground equivalent of the farther-reaching aboveground S-Bahn. The vast city system links with the suburban trains.
Upside: Clean, efficient, reliable.
Downside: Separate development during the cold war means unwieldy configurations; the U-Bahn works well only in combination with the S-Bahn.

Character: The heart of the system is the famous El, which defines the downtown Loop. Red and Blue lines reach the older, established suburbs of Oak Park and Evanston. Trains also run to O’Hare and Midway Airports.
Upside: Riding the El in the Loop to see the architecture.
Downside: Spotty service; endless ride to O’Hare.

Character: America’s newest subway doesn’t really go anywhere, but by 1998 Hollywood will be linked to downtown. The Red Line makes five stops on a five km run in approximately seven minutes. The aboveground Blue Line runs between Long Beach and downtown.
Upside: Used by executives to visit their favourite deli  Langer’s  a mile from downtown.
Downside: Of no real use to commuters or visitors. Click here for a differing opinion.

Character: This is the system that Stalin built. Stations are workers’ palaces of marble, stucco and even some gold. Trains come every two minutes.
Upside: Overall grandeur.
Downside: Prone to crowding at rush hours.

Character: Among the world’s most thorough systems. Stations can be grimy and noisy, but the trains are used daily by 3.5 million riders. A highly usable network.
Upside: Faster than a speeding taxi; station mosaics.
Downside: Announcements in stations can rarely be understood. Some stations are bleak and menacing.

Character: One of the oldest, most extensive and most fabled systems. Long corridors are great for musicians. Beautiful Art Nouveau subway entrances.
Upside: Densest system in the world  a stop every 550 metres in central Paris.
Downside: Unsavoury smells; considerable transfer time.

Character: A system of wholly separate lines that merge with suburban ones. Every portion of this vast city is accessible.
Upside: Makes more sense than the maze-like city itself. The Yamanote line circles the city for one low fare.
Downside: You have to buy another ticket when transferring to different systems; horrendous overcrowding at rush hours.